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Your Excellency,
I write as a citizen who is concerned about how a decision you have taken is rubbing off on the state.
I also intend to address the dangers of allowing the current situation to persist.
Sir, the passive disposition towards the safety of citizens' lives and properties as exemplified by the abandonment of the Akwa Ibom State Fire Service ought to be discouraged. The ill effects of the situation reared its ugly head recently when a multi-million Naira business firm, Nteps Supermarket, was razed by fire in Uyo, the Akwa Ibom State capital.
Despite the firm's closeness to the head office of the Fire Service in Uyo, it could not be saved. Fire strolled into Nteps with swagger, ran riot for several hours, scorched nearby First City Monument Bank (FCMB), before voluntarily deciding to draw the curtains on the day's activities.
It met no resistance.
Being proactive is a decision, being reactive is also a decision, same as being passive. The state fire service is neither equipped to be proactive nor reactive; forced passivity has rather been the lot of the agency.
Sir, why your administration has adopted a passive stance on the Fire Service and other agencies of Government is becoming a heartrending reality.
Our fire stations are in coma. Our fire fighting trucks are more like abandoned carcasses. Sir, if those dilapidated vehicles could talk, they would have since appealed to you to sell them off as scraps rather than force them to suffer under sun and rain for several years running.
The ugly situation was even corroborated by the Commissioner for Works and Fire Service, Prof Eno Ibanga, who, months ago, told newsmen that the comatose agency needs a revamp.
An employee (name witheld) confirmed the commissioner's position on the matter. He said "it is unfortunate that almost 80 per cent of our staff here have retired and government could not recruit new ones to fill existing vacancies. Even the only equipment here doesn’t have consumables to use, these consumables are chemicals such as F-F-F, Foam chemicals and other detergent needed in our operations."
Everyday, we lose our kith/ kin, our businesses and properties to fire outbreaks yet a Ministry saddled with the responsibility of coordinating the affairs of that agency cannot look you in the eye and convince you to implement its blueprint.
Your Excellency, since the Commissioner and his Ministry have failed to convince you on what to do, I wish to appeal, for the sake of your beloved Akwa Ibom people, personally visit our fire stations.
The head station in Uyo is barely a two minutes drive from your office at the Hilltop Mansion.
Fire stations in all the Local Government Areas are in the same shoes.
Even the one in your ONNA hometown is in absolute ruins. I got exclusive pictures of the ONNA fire station on Sunday night and I imagine the fate of the companies your administration has taken to ONNA.
Not only companies; fire outbreak can occur anywhere - our homes, schools, offices, churches, everywhere are not safe.
While it is advisable to have inhouse fire fighting equipment, a functional Fire Service must always be in place to wade in.
Your Excellency, I am in the know that many Akwa Ibom people have indicated interest in setting up private fire stations but have always met a brick wall in procuring license.
Some of them have submitted proposals to your administration to fix the Fire Service but have always been rebuffed.
Sir, safeguarding our lives and properties is your responsibility as the Chief Security Officer of Akwa Ibom State.
It is a responsibility that no one can take away from you. Your administration did so well by building a world class Covid-19 Isolation Centre in the state. It has helped us in the fight against the dreaded scourge.
Times like this are not times when politics should dictate our policies; these are times when the welfare and wellbeing of citizens and whatever it takes to achieve same should be paramount in the minds of leaders.
I urge you to reconsider your administration's posture on the Fire Service. Fixing the agency is not rocket science. You achieved a great feat in constructing the isolation centre in about a couple of months.
In recent months, we have seen the establishment of political groups like Maintain Peace Movement (MPM) and Ibom Consolidation Project (ICP) in the nooks and crannies of Akwa Ibom and beyond. Same can be replicated in the Fire Service.
Thank you for your time, Your Excellency, as I pray that God gives you wisdom and courage to handle this situation.
May Akwa Ibom not burn to ashes!
Yours in truth,
Ofonime Honesty
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